NIF: ActiveStillsIn honour of International Human Rights Day, ACRI published its annual Human Rights Report 2015.
The report reveals alarming trends over the last year: human rights violations have increased, the methods of operation previously used only in the West Bank were also adopted Israel and East Jerusalem, and more and more groups within Israeli society are experiencing human rights violations.
Deterioration in preserving civil rights
The trend in violations of personal security and integrity, due process and the freedom of expression which began with Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, intensified greatly during the wave of violence that began this September.
The report points to a significant increase in the use of administrative detention and restraining orders. These methods are illegal alternatives to ordinary criminal procedures and they restrict human liberties without due process or trial.
At a Knesset hearing last October, it was revealed that 54 Jews were given removal orders from the Occupied Territories and 62 Palestinians were expelled from Jerusalem, the Old City or the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque. For the first time, juveniles who have Israeli residency status were administratively detained. Under the auspices of the security situation, the Stop and Frisk Bill was proposed again, opening the door to arbitrary body searches and humiliating discrimination.
Politicians and senior police officials urged citizens to carry weapons and to shoot to kill. As a result, there were several instances of shooting in breach of the regulations, and innocent people lost their lives. East Jerusalem police continued to use excessive force, and a number of children and adult bystanders lost their eyes as a result of sponge bullets. Police continued to use skunk spray in East Jerusalem and there is evidence that it was also used at Ethiopian demonstrations last May and at Arab demonstrations in several cities in Israel. In some instances the foul smelling spray was used directly into homes or towards people, in contravention of regulations and undertakings made by police.
“The government and Knesset have an obligation to adopt effective measures in order to cope with these difficult events that create fear and undermine the routine of everyday life. However they must do so without deviating from the principles of criminal law and in full consideration of human rights. It must be remembered that decisions made quickly, and in the heat of the moment during times of tension remain and continue to affect us after the security situation has calmed down,” said ACRI Executive Director, Sharon Abraham-Weiss.
In the past year there have been a number of attacks by senior ministers on the freedom of expression and on artistic freedom. The Minister of Education Naftali Bennett removed the play “Hazman Hamakbil” by the Al-Midan Theater from the cultural budget. The Minister of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev, announced her intention to review the financial support provided to several cultural institutions, due to the content of their movies and shows. Minister Regev also sought to change the criteria for funding cultural institutions because of “incitement, harm to state symbols and encouragement of terrorism.” Even the Municipalities of Haifa, Be’er Sheva, Jerusalem and Yeruham restricted the freedom of expression due to controversial, political issues.
Insufficient promotion of socio-economic rights
The report identifies some positive government initiatives to promote socio-economic rights: the prohibition of water disconnections for people living in poverty, slight improvements with respect to state debts, increases in child allowances and an agreement on the absorption of thousands of contract workers into positions of direct employment. Despite some progress, there is still need for dramatic improvement to ensure the full realization of social rights.
For example, debtors do not receive adequate protection. The debt collection system makes it difficult for people to escape the cycle of debt and poverty. The system is not uniform, the majority of debtors do not have legal representation, authorities still have draconian powers to collect debts, debtors are not entitled to due process or proper consideration regarding deployment of the debt, and interest rates and the costs of debt collection are high.
The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) still disconnects debtors without financial means, although electricity is essential for health reasons and to live a normal life. The IEC does not investigate who has been disconnected, and what damage this may cause. The IEC has not yet issued regulations regarding disconnections, although the law requires them to do so, and every year more than 40,000 households are cut off from electricity.
In 2015 the Ministry of Finance and the Histadrut (Israel’s largest labor union) reached an agreement to transfer 15,000 contract workers into direct employment in the public sector. However, abusive employment arrangements still exist on a large scale, and hundreds of thousands of workers are still employed as contract workers in the public sector.
Please click on the links below to view the report:
For more information please contact:
Yaron Kelner
Spokesperson, The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
052-341-0631
